Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Wang Sanhu knew there was no such thing as having too much food. This was clearly just Shen Yuan’s excuse to give him something to eat.

Yesterday, his mother had told him he couldn't accept any more food from Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan was still young, and raising his younger siblings wasn't easy.

The summer tax was due soon, and it was unclear whether the youngsters in Shen Yuan's family could even scrape together the tax money.

Wang Sanhu was also worried about Shen Yuan. He refused, "I really can't take your food anymore. If you truly can't finish it, you should trade it for copper coins or save it to exchange for coarse cloth later to offset the summer tax. Who knows what extra taxes they'll add this year? Listen to Brother Sanhu, saving more is definitely the right thing to do."

Shen Yuan, of course, understood this logic and was prepared for it.

He persistently stuffed the millet steamed bun into Wang Sanhu's arms, smiling at him, "Brother Sanhu, you're good to me, so I want to be good to you. This bit of food isn't a big deal to me. I just want to give it to you. Seeing you eat your fill makes me happy from the bottom of my heart."

Holding the large steamed bun, the grown man felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Carrying heavy sacks was exhausting work, a life-draining labor of pure strength. Yet, hearing Shen Yuan's words made him feel as if the day's fatigue had vanished. The heaviness and hardship in his heart instantly lightened. The mountains looked greener, the grass looked fresher, and he felt much happier and more relaxed.

He couldn't help himself and reached out to pat Shen Yuan's head. "Brother Sanhu will definitely repay you in the future."

Shen Yuan let Wang Sanhu pat his head. In his previous life, his friends also loved doing this, so he was used to it. People here expressed emotions in such a reserved, almost frighteningly subtle way. Oddly enough, he somewhat missed this feeling. He relaxed with a beaming smile, "No need, no need. We're good brothers, after all! We share blessings and bear hardships together!"

Wang Sanhu understood Shen Yuan's words and nodded solemnly, "Right! We share blessings and bear hardships together!"

That large steamed bun was carefully tucked away by Wang Sanhu into his worn-out coarse cloth bag and fastened securely. He would soak it in hot water to eat when he got home.

Tomorrow, he would work even harder carrying sacks, saving up as much money as possible so he could help his good brother when the summer tax came due.

Today, they needed to go to Osmanthus Village to pick up the table.

The two made a detour on the way. The gate to the Xu family's courtyard was already open.

A commotion of shouting came from inside.

"You can't leave! Put those things down!"

Xu Dagui was tall and had always been solidly built. Even though he had lost a lot of weight recently, he was still more robust than the average person.

Years of carpentry work had given him immense strength in his hands. Even with just one hand gripping, the local ruffians who had come to the Xu house to rob couldn't break free.

Unfortunately, the other side had more people. Xu Dagui alone couldn't stop them all.

The Xu family wasn't populous. Xu Dagui only had one brother and elderly parents. The two old folks couldn't match the strength of several ruffians and were pushed to the ground, their foreheads bleeding from the impact.

Xu Dagui's younger brother, Xu Ergui, was also bruised and battered, desperately trying to block the ruffians who had grabbed things and were trying to run.

The Xu family simply couldn't hold them back. Two men broke free and ran towards the courtyard gate. One held the Xu family's money box in his arms, the other carried a sack of rice.

As they were about to run off, Xu Dagui and Xu Ergui strained forward but were held back by the ruffians around them.

"Ouch!"

The two ruffians trying to run out were directly shoved back into the courtyard by hands from outside the gate.

Wang Sanhu, also used to hard labor, had considerable strength in his hands. He directly pushed the two trying to escape, sending them tumbling backwards onto the yellow dirt ground, where they lay crying out in pain.

The things in their arms fell loose and dropped to the ground.

Shen Yuan, nimble in stature, rushed forward, scooped up the items into his own arms, and then—*whoosh*—darted behind Wang Sanhu.

Wang Sanhu considerately spread his arms to shield Shen Yuan behind him.

With the help, Xu Dagui got some relief. Gathering his strength, he forcefully flung the four ruffians clinging to him to the ground. With another swing of his arm, he threw the one he was holding onto the ground, making the man howl in pain.

Shen Yuan watched, utterly amazed. His strength was truly immense.

Xu Ergui, like his older brother, summoned his strength. Wang Sanhu also stepped up to help.

The three men had plenty of strength. That gang of idle ruffians, used to relying on numbers to take advantage, couldn't handle the addition of Wang Sanhu.

Helpless, the whole group could only slink away, unwilling to suffer immediate losses.

It wasn't like the Xu family always had visitors. If they didn't succeed today, there would be another day!

After the group left, Xu Dagui hurriedly helped his parents up. The whole family thanked Wang Sanhu and Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan handed the small money box and the rice sack he was holding to Xu Dagui. With a familiar ease, he casually asked, "Brother Dagui, who were those people?"

They looked tattered and filthy, like beggars.

But beggars were usually in various corners of the county town. It was rare to see them coming to villages to rob.

Villagers were united and excluded outsiders. Bandits and robbers were a different matter if they couldn't be fought off, but if beggars came to rob, they'd definitely be beaten to death.

Xu Dagui was momentarily taken aback by Shen Yuan's somewhat familiar form of address but, considering his acquaintance with Wang Sanhu, didn't dwell on it. His eyes darkened as he said in a low voice, "A bunch of ruffians from Osmanthus Village. They saw I lost a hand and thought I wasn't intimidating anymore. They also figured my family used to have money, so they banded together to rob us."

They must have held back for many days, waiting until he had lost a lot of weight before coming to rob.

If Wang Sanhu and Shen Yuan hadn't arrived so timely today, that gang really would have succeeded.

So they were local village ruffians. No wonder the other villagers hadn't reacted; they were from the same village, after all.

"Good thing your table is okay," Xu Dagui said. "I won't charge for the labor or the wood. Wang Sanhu, if your family needs tables, chairs, or benches later, I'll make them for you for free."

He didn't have much else he could offer as thanks. If it weren't for their help, the family's losses today would have been even greater.

Wang Sanhu, honest and straightforward, spoke his mind, "I don't want it, Brother Dagui. Just don't take my brother's wood and money, that's enough."

Shen Yuan also shook his head. He hadn't done anything, just picked up the money box and the small hemp sack holding half a bag of millet from the ground, then hid behind Wang Sanhu.

"It's really not necessary, Brother Dagui. As the saying goes, when you see injustice on the road, draw your sword to help. The summer tax collection is almost here, times are hard for everyone. You should save more money to get through the tax payment."

Xu Dagui gave a bitter smile. Given his family's situation, he had already decided to perform corvée labor to offset the tax.

"I appreciate your kindness. For the summer tax, I plan to perform corvée labor, so I don't need to save money." As he spoke, Xu Dagui lowered his head dejectedly, looking at his missing left hand. "In my condition, I can't save much anyway."

Without any business, where would the money come from to save?

Shen Yuan said, "How is there no business? I came today specifically to bring you business, Brother Dagui!"

Xu Dagui looked up, shocked, as the other smiled and said, "Our teahouse needs a long table made, and also a storytelling block. Both are rush jobs. Brother Dagui, don't charge half-price. Charge the full price, plus an extra rush fee."

Manager Ji's budget was more than sufficient. Shen Yuan had calculated based on Xu Dagui's pricing standards. Even charging the full price would be much less than what Manager Ji had allocated.

He wasn't sure which carpenter's standards Manager Ji had used to approve the budget.

Xu Dagui was a good person. Shen Yuan also wanted him to earn more money. Performing corvée labor was very hard, and there was a high chance one might not return alive.

He could only let the teahouse save a few dozen copper coins less.

Xu Dagui thought he must have misheard and asked again to confirm, "You're offering me work?"

They barely knew each other, and he had a broken hand—why pick him of all people?

Shen Yuan nodded, "Yes, didn’t I mention to Brother Dagui last time that I’d bring business your way if I could? This time, I just mentioned it to the shopkeeper, and he agreed to let me handle it."

Xu Dagui was stunned for a long moment, unable to process it. He had thought those words were just being polite that day.

He never expected Shen Yuan to actually mean it.

Xu Dagui felt a tightness in his chest, and his nose stung with emotion.

Beside him, Xu’s parents, who had been too scared to say anything earlier, approached Shen Yuan while leaning on Xu Ergui. The elderly couple, their foreheads covered in blood, started to kneel in thanks.

Their Dagui hadn’t gotten any work in ages. Their eldest son was quiet and kept to himself, making ends meet with his woodworking alone to support the family.

This was the first time in so many years they had seen someone remember their son, especially during such difficult times, helping their Dagui out and pulling the Xu family up.

He was a real godsend!

Shen Yuan was so startled by the elderly couple’s gesture that he nearly jumped onto Wang Sanhu, his voice breaking in a panic, "No, no, no! Quick! Brother Dagui, stop them! I’ll have my lifespan shortened! Brother Dagui, I want to live a long life—hurry and stop them!"

Xu Dagui was amused by Shen Yuan’s frantic yelping and quickly stepped in to stop his parents.

"Dad, Mom, you’re scaring him."

The elderly couple hadn’t expected Shen Yuan to be so lively, straightforward, and amusing, speaking his mind without reservation. It left them both laughing and crying. Before Xu Dagui could even intervene, the couple straightened up on their own. Grandpa Xu hurriedly reassured the seemingly terrified Shen Yuan, "Alright, alright, no kneeling. Child, you’ll definitely live to a hundred."

Shen Yuan let out a sigh of relief and nodded, "Uncle and Aunt, may you also live to a hundred."

The Xu elders were in their early fifties but looked like they were in their seventies or eighties from his previous life. In an era where the average lifespan barely exceeded sixty, living to a hundred was a far-off dream.

The elderly couple was touched by Shen Yuan’s sincere tone, finding it comforting.

Shen Yuan continued to encourage Xu Dagui, "Brother Dagui, the summer tax is still two or three months away. Let’s not give up so early. I’ll think of you for any work I come across later. Let’s just hang in there—maybe we can get through this hurdle, right? That corvée labor is no joke."

Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, the Xu elders nodded in agreement, their spirits lifted. They patted their eldest son’s back and said, "The boy's right. There are still two or three months left—let’s not give up. Who knows, we might pull through by then. Even if we don’t, our whole family can go serve the corvée together. We’ll live together and die together. With family by our side, we won’t fear life or death!"

Xu Dagui was deeply moved by his family’s words. Before this, their household had been gloomy, everyone looking worried.

He never imagined that a few words from Shen Yuan could inspire such strength in everyone, ready to face whatever the future held, good or bad.

The weight lifted from Xu Dagui’s chest. He looked at Shen Yuan and said solemnly, "You’re right. I shouldn’t give up now. I’ll do it. Thank you, Brother Shen."

Xu Dagui, who was usually reserved and disliked socializing, rarely showed such emotion. This was the first time he had ever wanted to make a friend.

He couldn’t help but feel anxious, worried that Shen Yuan might think less of him because of his hand, but he quickly dismissed the thought—Shen Yuan wasn’t that kind of person.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Shen Yuan say, "Brother Dagui, just call me Xiao Yuan. Except for Brother Sanhu, everyone calls me Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan sounds nice."

Wang Sanhu finally caught on, "Huh? Isn’t calling you Shen Da nice?"

That’s how many peers in the village addressed each other—using the surname followed by birth order.

Before Shen Yuan could respond, Wang Sanhu added, "Then Brother Sanhu will call you Xiao Yuan from now on too."

Calling him Xiao Yuan felt closer, and he thought it sounded better.

Shen Yuan discussed the dimensions of the teahouse’s long table with Xu Dagui. Just as he finished, he caught a glimpse of someone hiding behind the wall not far away. Although the person ducked out of sight fast, he still noticed.

"Brother Dagui, there’s someone behind the wall of your house. Could it be a rogue who didn’t leave, hiding there?" Shen Yuan whispered to Xu Dagui, careful not to make any sudden movements to avoid alerting them.

To his surprise, Xu Dagui called out in that direction, "Qing Xuan, come here."

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